1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a system including an information processing apparatus and a peripheral apparatus connected thereto via an interface, such as universal serial bus (USB), Ethernet®, or wireless local area network (LAN), in which the peripheral apparatus is controlled by the system, has been widely and effectively used in environments such as home or offices. More specifically, a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, a scanner, or a digital camera and an apparatus having a combination of functions of the above-described apparatuses and machines are used as a peripheral apparatus.
To Windows® 7 of Microsoft Corporation, anew function for managing a peripheral apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer (PC), has been introduced. More specifically, Device Stage® function, which includes a Devices and Printers folder, which is a window for displaying an apparatus connected to the PC, and a function for linking to an application or a service uniquely provided to each peripheral apparatus, has been introduced to Windows® 7.
A screen of the Devices and Printers folder, which is illustrated in FIG. 5A, can be displayed by an operation from the “start menu” of Windows 7®. Furthermore, a Device Stage screen (FIG. 5B), which displays information about the status of each peripheral apparatus, can be displayed by an operation via the Devices and Printers folder. The Device Stage screen can provide a visually useful screen. Via the Device Stage screen, a user is allowed to readily utilize and access a function and a service related to the apparatus. If a scanner is used as a peripheral apparatus, a link to an application capable of reading an image and an image of a document can be provided on the Device Stage screen. In this case, by launching and utilizing the application capable of reading an image and an image of a document, an image or a document image can be read by using the peripheral apparatus (scanner).
Meanwhile, with the widespread use of the Internet, various types of online services have been provided, which include an information processing apparatus and a peripheral apparatus connected to the Internet and execute data communication via the Internet. More specifically, a conventional online service utilizes the Device Stage screen including a link to a customer support page of a web site of a manufacturer who provides the online service, which is provided on the Internet. By utilizing the online service like this, a user can easily access a web site provided related to the apparatus. In the following description, the Device Stage screen may also be referred to as a “device management screen”.
A conventional system includes a multifunction printer (peripheral) (MFP), which has a plurality of functions such as a printer function, a facsimile transmission function, a scanner function, and a storage function. Conventionally, if a user desires to read an image or a document image by utilizing the scanner function of an MFP from an application, the user generally executes the following operations. More specifically, the user:
(1-1) launches the application,
(1-2) selects a scanner (driver), which is an input device, via a scanner selection portion provided to the application, and
(1-3) executes reading by using the application.
Suppose that a plurality of input devices, such as an MFP or a scanner, is connected to one PC and that drivers for the input devices have already been installed on the PC. In this case, after image reading processing is executed at least once, an input device that has been selected last is often selected as a default device to be used when the application is launched the next time. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 85132 discusses the above-described conventional method.
When an image of a document set on an MFP is read by using an application linked on the Device Stage screen, processing executed therefor is different from that in a conventional method. To paraphrase this, because the Device Stage screen is displayed via the Devices and Printers folder, the following operations are to be executed. More specifically, the user:
(2-1) opens the Devices and Printers folder,
(2-2) selects a peripheral apparatus to be operated within the Devices and Printers folder,
(2-3) opens the Device Stage screen for the peripheral apparatus,
(2-4) launches the application via the Device Stage screen, and
(2-5) executes reading by using the application.
Suppose that a plurality of input devices, such as an MFP or a scanner, is connected to one PC and that drivers for the input devices have already been installed on the PC. In addition, suppose that image reading processing has been executed at least once, from the application, by using a specific scanner. In this state, the scanner is selected as a default device to be used when the application is launched the next time.
In this state, by using an MFP different from the scanner and by executing the operations (2-1) through (2-5), suppose that processing is further executed for reading an image of a document set on the MFP. If the image reading processing is executed from the application in the operation (2-5), then the application executes document image reading processing by using the scanner that has been set as the default device in the application, instead of using the MFP. As a result, the image or the document image desired by the user cannot be read and the image reading processing may fail.
Suppose that an MFP is connected to one PC via a plurality of interfaces, such as USB or an Ethernet network. In this case, the driver of the MFP may vary (i.e., the name of the driver of the MFP may vary) according to the interface used for the connection. More specifically, if a TWAIN driver connected via USB is used as illustrated in FIG. 6B, a driver name “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN)” is displayed in a scanner selection field of the application. On the other hand, if a TWAIN driver connected via a network by using an independent hardware vendor (IHV) native protocol is used, a driver name “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN) Network” is displayed in a scanner selection field of the application.
Furthermore, suppose that an MFP is connected to one PC via two interfaces, i.e., via USB and an Ethernet network. In this case, the user selects a USB-connected TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN)” via a scanner selection field of the application by executing the operation (1-2) of the operation of a conventional method. Then, the user performs the operation (2-3) to executing reading by the MFP from the application via USB connection. When the reading is completed, in the application, the USB-connected TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN)” is selected as a default device used when the application is launched the next time.
Moreover, suppose, in this state, that a USB cable used for the USB connection is taken off from the MFP to cause the MFP to be connected to the PC via the Ethernet network only. Suppose further that an application linked with the Device Stage screen is launched in this state and that the user executes reading by the MFP via the Ethernet network by using a TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN) Network”, which is connected via a network by using an IHV native protocol. In this case, if the reading is executed from the application by executing the operation (2-5), the application executes the following operations.
More specifically, the application uses the TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN)”, which is connected via USB and set as the default device within the application, to execute image reading (document image reading) processing. In other words, the application does not use the TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN) Network” connected via the network by using the IHV native protocol in this case.
More specifically, the application performs not use the TWAIN driver “ABC Kmmn (TWAIN) Network” of the network the connection of the IHV native protocol.
As a result, an image (document image) desired by the user to be read cannot be read because the MFP is connected to the PC not via USB. Accordingly, in this case, the image (document image) reading processing may fail.